‘Toy Story 4’ Adds New Writer Less Than 18 Months Before Release

Toy Story 4’s current release date is June 21, 2019. That’s almost exactly 17 months from today; not long for any major production, and practically a blink when it comes to complex computer animated movies like the ones made by Pixar. Their movies take years to complete, which is why this story from Variety raises an eyebrow or two (or more, if you have additional eyebrows, I’m not judging if you do).

Variety reports that Stephany Folsom has been hired as the latest writer on Toy Story 4. She is...

filling the slot left vacant by Rashida Jones and writing partner Will McCormack in November. Jones denied a published report that she had left over an unwanted advance from Pixar and Disney animation chief John Lasseter and said instead they left over ‘philosophical differences,’ and asserted that their exit was over the fact that they believed women and people of color did not have ‘an equal creative voice’ at Pixar.

Lasseter was originally attached as the co-director of the film; last summer, he stepped away from the project as well. His co-director, Josh Cooley, is now the sole director on the film.

What does this mean for Toy Story 4? Nothing good. All movies undergo revisions during production, including Pixar’s, but 17 months is not a long time to take an animated feature from script to screen. It wouldn’t shock me in the slightest if we learned that the movie was being pushed back.

On a more reassuring note, many Pixar films, including some of the Toy Storys, have undergone heavy revisions and turned out just find. Toy Story 2 was almost an entirely different movie (produced by Disney, not Pixar) before a complete overhaul. So a new writer isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Hopefully she works fast.